


Covalent Bonds: Ineffable Chemisty Side Stories

by jacksparrow589



Series: Ineffable Chemistry [2]
Category: Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) & Related Fandoms, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Multi, So Much Friendship, Some Humor, Supportive friendship for just about everyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27436096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksparrow589/pseuds/jacksparrow589
Summary: Just some side stories that I wasn't able to fit into the main body of Ineffable Chemistry for one reason or another. Mostly friendship stories talking about what's going on in the main plot at the time, but there will be a few Shirbert moments sprinkled in; fret not.Latest Chapter: December 2015: Meeting the Families at Christmastime
Relationships: Billy Andrews/Josie Pye, Cole Mackenzie & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe & Moody Spurgeon MacPherson, Gilbert Blythe & Sebastian "Bash" Lacroix, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Josie Pye & Jane Andrews, Marilla Cuthbert & Matthew Cuthbert & Anne Shirley, Ruby Gillis/Moody Spurgeon MacPherson
Series: Ineffable Chemistry [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002720
Comments: 94
Kudos: 84





	1. June 2015: Gilbert Talks With Moody After The Blood Drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: There is one minor mention of a donation-related mishap. If you are squeamish at the mention of blood, it's just before the scene change.

**_23 June 2015_ **

"You look like you've had a day," Moody told Gilbert, holding a beer out to him before half-joking, "Need something harder?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Nah. Not when I'm this tired. The blood drive was busy; that's all."

Moody tilted his head. "Dude, I've seen you when you're tired. And you definitely are, but it's not just that…"

Gilbert sighed. "I had to handle a fainter."

"Oh." Moody winced. "Bad one?"

Gilbert shook his head, hesitated, and heaved a sigh. "Cute one," he murmured.

Moody choked on his sip of beer. "Cute?"

Gilbert nodded, grateful that he hadn't had more than a sip of his own beer and that he couldn't flush too deeply. "I don't think… she didn't seem overly fond of me. Not that she should be falling over herself to thank me or anything, but she definitely didn't make helping her easy."

Moody shrugged. "Maybe she freaked out because she liked you. Reactions to people you like don't always make sense."

Gilbert frowned. "It's more like she thought I was inconveniencing her on purpose. She did mention the bookstore, so maybe she was late for a shift." He smirked a little. "Poor planning on her part if she decided right before her shift was a good time to donate."

Moody wore a smirk of his own. "Or maybe you were obvious about thinking she was cute? C'mon; you were always the worst at B.S."

"When's the last time we played that? Seventh grade?" Gilbert snorted. "If anything, I was a bit brusque with her."

Moody went face-first into his palm. "Oh my God. It is a miracle _any_ girl falls for you anymore. You used to be charming!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no clue whatsoever what might've changed that the last few months," he retorted sourly.

Moody had the grace to wince. "Sorry."

The friends sat in silence for a moment before Moody asked, "So, any other fun stories from today?"

Gilbert's grin returned. "Well, one of the newbies managed to get blood spatter to the face, so we had to send him to the hospital…"

Moody shuddered. "Ugh. That's disgusting." He raised and lowered his eyebrows quickly. "Tell me more."

* * *

They had been talking for an hour when Ruby showed up.

"Hi, hon!" Ruby gave Moody a kiss on the cheek, squeaking a little as he pulled her back in for a proper kiss before releasing her. She turned to Gilbert. "Hey, Gil."

"Hey, Ruby." Gilbert smiled politely at her. "Where are you two off to tonight?"

Ruby shrugged. "It's a surprise. Moody's choice."

Gilbert had to laugh as Moody looked a little panicked. He'd forgotten. Moody pulled a face at Gilbert before addressing Ruby. "Maybe we'll have a bigger rotation soon. Gilbert met a girl today."

"Oh?" Ruby practically sparkled.

Gilbert rolled his eyes and got up to pull on his shoes. "Someone at the blood drive fainted and she happened to be cute. I was strictly professional about it."

" _Too_ professional," corrected Moody.

Ruby thought for a moment. "What's her name? I might be able to find her on social media and see if she's single."

Gilbert jerked his thumb at the door. "I'm gonna leave before we start violating health privacy laws along with basic decency."

Ruby sighed dejectedly as Moody consoled her. "Don't worry; he wouldn't tell me either. All I know is that she's stubborn and works at the bookstore."

"Wouldn't it be funny if it was Anne?" Ruby pondered.

Gilbert had to keep from reacting. Anne wasn't an entirely uncommon name… "Have a nice date, you two," he told them, trying to keep his voice even and unhurried and trying not to look like he was running out the door.

Just before Gilbert shut the door behind him, he could hear Moody say, "I dunno; I think he would have mentioned the red hair."

Gilbert only just managed to shut the door softly before heaving a sigh and starting to head home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These first three chapters are basically going to be Moody (for the first two) and Bash (for the third) giving Gilbert all the grief over Anne as the relationship develops. They were all very fun to write.
> 
> And yes, Gilbert knew he had friends in common with Anne basically from the beginning. As to why he was a bit slow off the mark, we'll get into that next chapter.


	2. July 2015: Moody Tries to Text Anne as Gilbert

**_7 July 2015_ **

"Hey, Moody."

"Hey, Gil."

Gilbert leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom. "…Bit early to be drunk, isn't it? Or did you start drinking before I got here?"

Without looking, Moody replied, "I'm not drunk."

"Okay…" Gilbert walked over and casually picked up Moody's phone. "So why are you trying to open my phone instead of yours?"

"Because you need to ask Anne out." Moody sighed and flipped the phone over. "Okay, I'm about to lock you out. Can you just enter your passcode please? I really don't want to have to do this."

Gilbert shook his head and tapped Moody's phone's screen. "No. And before you do that, you might want to consider that I know your passcode because it's been RUBYG in T-9 since junior year of high school, and I am about to tell her what you got her for her birthday. And that it was Anne who really came up with the idea." He showed Moody the screen with the message typed out.

Moody gaped. "You wouldn't! You know how seriously she takes her birthday surprises!"

Gilbert held out his free hand. "Trade?"

With a sigh, Moody handed back Gilbert's phone, and took his back and quickly erased the message. "You're no fun, you know that?"

"I mean, think about some random guy getting Ruby's phone number from someone else and sending her a random come-on," Gilbert told him.

"You're not some random guy, though," Moody pointed out. "But I guess it'd be weird even coming from me." He took a swig from his beer before continuing. "Seriously, though, you two were putting off more sparks than a steel plant. You should really ask her out."

"Ah yes, the ever romantic _steel plant_ ," Gilbert deadpanned. "Brilliant salesmanship. Anyway, what am I supposed to do? Camp the bookstore and march in there on her shift with a bouquet of roses and hope she doesn't think I'm the stalker I absolutely would be at that point? _Ah yes, please, Miss clerk-who-is-socially-obligated-to-be-nice-to-me, allow me to put you in an uncomfortable position by saying something that you might want to respond negatively to but can't for fear of losing your job._ She'd probably hit me over the head with that book you got Ruby, and she'd be right to."

"That, _mon ami_ , is where you are wrong. I mean, point taken on the stalker thing. Anne was _absolutely_ into you, but point taken. At least do me the courtesy of acknowledging that I am far better than you at picking up on signals, though." Moody grinned triumphantly.

"Oh God; you're speaking French. You are drunk," Gilbert laughed.

"Speaking French and drunk are both massive overstatements of the situation, which tells me that you are salty about two things." Moody set down his beer to hold up his thumb and forefinger. "First, that you know I'm right about Anne but you're evading because… reasons we can get into either now or later, but for the record, I'm here for you." He wrapped his free arm around Gilbert's shoulders. Gilbert couldn't help grinning and wrapping his own arm across Moody's shoulders as Moody continued, "Second, that I always scored better in French than you did because your accent is atrocious."

"I am not ashamed that Latin is easier to pronounce," Gilbert fired back.

"Nor are you ashamed of your general linguistic elitism, but we can debate that after a few more drinks." Moody grabbed another beer. "For now, stop derailing the discussion. At least let Ruby be your go-between if she sees Anne before you do again. I think she's more invested in this than I am."

"What happened to the days when I could tell you a thing and Ruby didn't immediately know it?" Gilbert grumbled.

Moody looked offended. "Hey, she still doesn't know the details about Christine beyond what you told her. Or if she does, she doesn't know them from me."

"Fair." Gilbert finished his beer and went to grab glasses of water for himself and Moody. When Moody took the glass without complaint and downed half of it, Gilbert sighed. "You're giving me that look, so I'll save you the trouble. Yes, I am unreasonably attracted to Anne despite knowing her for only 30 minutes total, and it's weird and I'm not entirely comfortable with it, but I cannot get her out of my head, so I may as well try."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Moody laughed. "Ruby's still back in Avonlea and Charlottetown with Diana for a few weeks but I can see if she can get Anne's schedule—"

Gilbert cut him off. "Nooooo thank you. Running into Anne or hanging out with her as a friend and the topic coming up organically is one thing, but getting her schedule even through mutual friends…" He shook his head.

Moody was undeterred. "Well, she was there on a Saturday afternoon, so maybe you should just try those and see if she's there."

Gilbert nodded. "That was my thought, but I will have you know that I don't like it, and if there's any hint of disinterest, I'm backing off." He punctuated his statement by flicking his bottle cap between empty the two empty bottles.

Moody rolled his eyes. "People meet with help all the time, and again, she's into you. Like, _really_ into you." He went to grab Gilbert another beer. "Now, time to get into Latin and why some dead languages should just stay dead…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That awkward moment when you post a chapter and realize you have like 3 typos an hour later... Oh dear.


	3. September 2015: Gilbert and Bash After Gil & Anne's First "Proper" Date

**_13 September 2015_ **

"Hey Bash." Gilbert let himself into the apartment. "Sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry; most of this has been pretty easy to put together. It'll just go quicker with two sets of hands." Bash told him from the bedroom that was going to be the nursery.

Gilbert walked into the room and set his jacket and bag down before starting to work on assembling bureau drawers.

"So, how'd the date go?" Bash wanted to know.

"It was nice," Gilbert replied.

Bash laughed quietly. "You were humming when you came in. You haven't stopped smiling—I can _hear_ it. I think it went better than just _nice_. Got a good night kiss?"

"Oh come on, Bash, I was too old to be embarrassed by that when you met me." Gilbert rolled his eyes, adding a side to the drawer he was working on. "And yes, we kissed, if you really need to know."

"He's kissing and telling now!" Bash abandoned all pretense of working as Gilbert redoubled his focus to add tracks to the drawer. "And that hair looks, dare I say it, tousled. Like a girl's had her hands in it." Bash wriggled gleefully. "Oh Blythe, please tell me—"

Gilbert shook his head and looked up, annoyed. "This is how my hair looks out of the shower, and you'll note that it is damp." Mockingly, he continued, "I believe you once asked if I'd also stuck a fork in an electrical socket to make it do this."

"Yeah, but you were woefully single then," Bash pointed out, going back to assembling the bureau frame. "And so, as I was going to say earlier: she slept over, didn't she?"

"We met for coffee this morning, okay?" Gilbert admitted, hoping it would be enough as he started work on another drawer.

Bash shook his head. "Yeah, I'm sure you _met._ That what the kids are calling it these days?" he teased. "From that grin you can't keep off your face even now, when you're well and truly vexed with me, it's pretty clear how that date went, Blythe."

Gilbert grit his teeth. "Well. It went _well,_ " he insisted.

"Poor girl would be hurt to hear you have that low an opinion of it," Bash retorted breezily.

"Fuck off, Bash," Gilbert shot back, knowing even as he said it that he was still smiling. "Whatever we did or didn't do aside… I really like her."

"I could've told you that," Bash teased. More gently and sincerely, he continued, "I'm glad you do. Still, I'm a little surprised after last Easter…" He shrugged.

Gilbert mirrored the gesture. "I mean, breakups are never nice, but honestly Christine and I… We couldn't make it work. She was right that we should stop trying to force it."

"You just didn't want to admit it." Bash chuckled. "You might be the most stubborn person I know, and I'm married to Mary." He looked at his phone. "I keep telling her to enjoy the baby shower, but she insists on sending me pictures like I won't see everything when she gets here." He sighed. "And I coo over it just as much as she does."

"Yeah, well, you might be the proudest dad ever to exist, so that tracks." Gilbert stacked another completed drawer on top of the first. "And yeah, I came to that realization pretty quickly once Christine said it. But the fact that I wouldn't accept it for the longest time just because I didn't want a relationship to fail over nothing… It doesn't make me feel great."

Bash stopped working again. "You live; you learn. You won't be making that mistake with this one."

"You say that like she's The One or something. Bash, we just had our first real date. Some of us move at a normal pace," Gilbert reminded him.

"Still sticking to that story, huh?" Bash stood and went to the kitchen. Gilbert followed, accepting a beer when Bash handed it to him. "Months of dancing around like that… I'd say it's not a good sign, but that stupid moke smile of yours says it worked out well enough for you anyway."

"Takes one to know one!" Gilbert protested. "You and Mary… No, I still don't want to know. I never want to know."

Bash clapped Gilbert on the shoulder. "Sometimes, you've just got to apologize the right way. That at least seems like something you know a little about."

Gilbert smirked. "Not like you, I don't. I made sure I wasn't egregiously hitting on her in the middle of her shift. Or mine, for that matter."

"No wonder it took you two months to actually ask her out," Bash muttered.

Gilbert laughed. "Yeah, and I still maintain I did it the right way."

"So, are you actually going to tell me what happened?" Bash wanted to know after a moment of quiet.

"We had dinner and ice cream, then I walked her home, and then I went home," Gilbert answered. Bash studied Gilbert's face curiously. "You can't lie to save your own skin, so somehow, that's the truth." He half-smiled again. "You win this round, Blythe, but someday, I'll find out what it is you're hiding."

"Good luck with that," Gilbert told him as they went back to the nursery to work again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the next chapter is a bit of a sharp turn from this emotionally. Not that it won't have its light moments, but comedy is not at the forefront, I can say that much.


	4. November 2015: Anne Explains How the Article Came to Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: This doesn't go into explicit detail about the harassment Cole faced, but the chapter is about that.

_**22 November 2015** _

Gilbert pressed a kiss to the side of Anne's head. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Anne squeezed the hand that hung over her shoulders and sighed. "I asked Cole… If he wouldn't mind… I didn't feel great about it at the time, but I got Prissy's permission, and it needed getting out in the open." She took a deep breath. "Cole… was the first person to come to me."

Gilbert blinked, processing for a moment, then, very quietly, he said, "Ah."

Anne nodded. "Ah." She mustered a grimly determined half-smile. "We'd known each other since freshman year, and I recommended Cole take Philips's class because he needed some easy credits and as long as you're on time with your drafts and use a spell-checker, you could get through it with pretty minimal effort. I knew something was up with Prissy because she was the only person he didn't treat like crap. Cole and I would joke… And then Cole came to me four weeks before the end of term…"

* * *

**_4 November 2011_ **

"Cole!" Anne gave him a hug. "Come on in!" She stepped back to take a look at him. "…What's wrong?"

Cole mutely showed her his cellphone, his eyes dark. Anne took it and read, her jaw dropping as Cole closed the room to Anne's door and sank to sit with his back to the bed. Anne gaped as her eyes darted between her friend and his phone. She sat down next to Cole and wrapped her arms around him.

"What do you want to do?" she asked quietly after a few minutes.

"I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to ask him what the fuck made him think he could do this… Part of me wants to leave and never come back. It's guys like this who—" Cole cut himself off. "Sorry; preaching to the choir."

Anne stiffened for a moment, but managed to relax. "Yeah, well, just means I have more motivation to go after this asshole and make sure he can't do this to anyone else again."

Cole bit his lip. "I don't know… I know I should, especially with this kind of evidence, but…" He sighed. "You know how this is gonna go."

Anne thought. "You can't be the first one."

Cole gave her a look. "Well, obviously, but Prissy won't say a thing against him."

Anne shook her head. "No. I mean, he's used to going behind her back, too." At Cole's skeptical look, she reasoned, "He's already being pretty explicit. If Prissy was involved, he'd have said so."

"She could still say I came onto him," Cole pointed out. "Even if he gets some kind of disciplinary action for being with Prissy, too, I don't want it to be at my expense."

Anne took a moment to think. "If this was a news story, you could be an anonymous source. The problem is that you'd be the only one unless I bring Prissy into it, but doing that would be dishonest… Can I please just ask my newspaper advisor? I can fudge the details a little bit at first so she doesn't know who I'm talking about—like maybe a friend at another school or something—but she knows how to sound out administrators and figure out who to go to first."

Cole paused, but his nod when it came was resolute. "Do it. I don't… He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. Any of it."

Anne nodded. "I won't make a move without telling you, and I promise I'll let you know what I find out as soon as I do. And if you want me to stop, just say the word."

Cole wrapped his arms around Anne and clutched her tightly. "Thanks, Anne." His voice was thick with tears.

"I've got your back. We'll figure it out," Anne murmured. "He's going to regret this, and you'll know that you made it happen."

If Anne felt tears on her neck for a moment, she wasn't going to tell anyone.

* * *

**_22 November 2015_ **

"You made it happen," Gilbert told her.

"He got less than he deserved, if you ask me," Anne sighed, curling into an even tighter ball against Gilbert's side before allowing herself to relax. "But he was fired and ostensibly barred from teaching. Maybe it's not healthy, but I check every once in a while to be sure his name doesn't come up in a Google search as staff at some other school. I worked so hard… but really, I don't want him to have another opportunity. I don't know how I could ever tell Cole if I found out he was teaching again. And I still feel bad about Prissy. She had no good option. I just… didn't know if I could trust her. Now that I do know, every time I think about it, I feel horrible for ever thinking that she might be okay with it. I mean, at the end of the day, Philips was the one who had all the power."

Gilbert shrugged. "She never said very much about it—not that I heard, anyway—but she's always held the line that he's a predator, even when people pointed out that the situation could have been more like hers. She knows the truth of it. She just doesn't like talking about it."

"Understandable," Anne murmured.

"You _didn't_ wreck her life, Anne," Gilbert told her. "Prissy's not one to hold a grudge. She's happy. She's got a lot going for her. And believe me: I've met her girlfriend. Winnie takes no shit from anyone. They're a perfect match."

Anne managed a smile. "You know I'm a sucker for a good real-life happily-ever-after." She tried to sound like she was complaining, but couldn't quite manage it.

Gilbert smiled and continued, "And Cole and Alex, they're happy, aren't they?"

Still smiling, Anne sighed and nodded, her smile growing wider when Gilbert kissed her forehead. "Alright, alright, I feel better about it all!" she laughed, tilting her face up for a quick kiss. "And not just because you're kissing me."

"But it doesn't hurt?" Gilbert teased.

"No; no, it doesn't," Anne agreed before leaning in once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: We get meeting the families in person at Christmas! (It's possibly my favorite chapter of this and definitely the longest.)


	5. December 2015: Meeting the Families at Christmastime

**_23 December 2015_ **

Anne's grip on the steering wheel tightened as she headed up the drive. Had she turned off at the correct one? It had been marked "Blythe", of course, and it looked like the pictures Gilbert had shown her of the house, and she was driving along side an apple orchard, but the thought that she might show up first at the wrong house and then late to the correct one wouldn't stop swirling around in her head. She should have just accepted Gilbert's offer to come out and wait for her. He was an adult; he knew how to dress for the weather, and it hadn't been too far from the exit…

Anne took a deep breath, squeezed the steering wheel one last time, then grabbed her bag and the container of plum puffs Marilla had sent with her, and put her hand out to open the car door when it opened for her.

"Figured I'd at least be this much of a gentleman," Gilbert told her, leaning in for a quick kiss before offering a hand to Anne as she got out of the car.

"Trying to impress someone?" Anne teased softly.

"We can get into my near-pathological need to people-please another time," Gilbert assured her as they walked up onto the porch, where they both kicked the snow off of their shoes before Gilbert let them in. Anne toed off her shoes quickly and removed her jacket and hat, which Gilbert took to hang up.

By the time she was done, Gilbert's parents had appeared next to the stairs in the small entryway. Anne straightened. "Hi," she said quietly.

Gilbert's father was the first to step forward, smiling warmly as he shook her hand. "I'm John. Nice to meet you in person, Anne." He stepped aside for Gilbert's mother, from whom it seemed Gilbert had inherited his particular brand of smile.

"I'm Lisbeth. Welcome. Do you need anything? Water? Tea? Coffee? Cocoa? Are you warm enough?"

"Okay, Mom," Gilbert cut in. "Give Anne a minute to answer?"

Anne shrugged. "Tea would be nice, but you really don't need to…" But Lisbeth was already off.

Gilbert leaned over to murmur, "Right answer. Mom's had the kettle going since she got up this morning. Not that that's unusual; you'd think we have a separate faucet for tea with how much she drinks."

Anne nudged Gilbert's arm but couldn't help a quiet chuckle before heading into the kitchen when Lisbeth asked Anne to choose her tea.

* * *

Half an hour later, the four of them sat in the living room with drinks and gingerbread that was apparently a treasured recipe from John's family. Gilbert's parents were asking questions (none of them asking too closely about life before Green Gables—Anne suspected she had Gilbert to thank for that, even if these were the sort of people Anne could see herself talking to about it someday) and Anne answering them with commentary from Gilbert.

"…I thought about teaching, since it was a teacher who got me into writing, and I may still someday, but I had it pointed out to me that the point was to follow my passion," Anne was explaining. "I'm never going to stop writing, but if the world stops needing journalists somehow, at least I have an idea of what I'd like to do." She saw Gilbert blink and realized she hadn't told him that part of it yet. For a moment, she worried that maybe they didn't know each other as well as they'd thought, but really, this was what this was about. Didn't couples sometimes not learn things like this until after they were married? That was what Matthew and Jeannie had said, and they'd grown up together! Anne shook her head a little to clear it. "Gilbert said you mentioned knowing the Cuthberts when they were younger?"

John nodded. "Matthew and Jeannie moved to that B&B a few years after they married. Marilla had left a while before that, when their mother took a turn after…"

"After Michael," Anne finished quietly. "Matthew and Jeannie told me." She felt Gilbert's hand cover hers, and she squeezed it before sighing, "It's actually kind of how we finally started being able to relate, after Matthew pointed it out, grim as that might sound." She shrugged. "Marilla's happy. So is Matthew. And so am I." She smiled. "Every once in a while, one or the other of them will do something, and it's they share this look that tells me they've been doing this for _years_." She paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to ease the remaining tension. "On that note, have they always been good at cards? I have to know. I have yet to beat either of them at rummy and I swear Matthew knows how to stack decks."

"It's always the quiet ones that get up to the most mischief," Lisbeth laughed. "Gilbert was far too quiet as a child. Usually, it was just the reading under the covers after bed time, or wandering into the orchard unattended, but there was a time when he was about four where I was making dinner and John had just gotten in from outside, and we realized we didn't know where Gilbert was…" she broke off, laughing. Gilbert slowly moved his hand from propping up his chin to covering his face as Lisbeth continued, "And then we finally found him… He was in the spare bedroom… He'd gotten into my paints… and decided he needed full-body art, so he'd—"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand we're done," Gilbert cut in. "I'm just glad neither of you had the presence of mind to grab the camera. There is no proof that you didn't just concoct this whole story because you needed an embarrassing story to share instead of bragging that you had an immaculately behaved child. And _you_ …" He rounded on Anne, who was still giggling uncontrollably. "Will not mention this to anyone at school. Or Bash. He already knows." The last sentence was spoken in a tone so resigned that Anne could no longer hold back her laughter, though she nodded through it.

"Don't worry; Matthew and Marilla have _plenty_ of stories about me," Anne assured him, still laughing. "The time I got carried away following butterflies and fell into a creek behind the B&B is a particular favorite. And I was fourteen—I definitely should have had more sense!"

"We should visit sometime," Lisbeth said thoughtfully, still wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

John nodded. "A B&B run by old friends… And Marilla's still baking those plum puffs." He grinned.

Anne looked at Gilbert and raised an eyebrow. "Not that it wasn't clear, but wow. I'm kind of surprised you don't live in a real-life gingerbread house."

"Believe me: it's not for lack of those two lobbying," Lisbeth told her with a conspiratorial wink. "If I may offer a tip: a sugar cookie candle works wonders when you want to get your way."

Anne nodded and grinned. "Duly noted."

Gilbert rolled his eyes as John sighed, "I'd hoped we could keep some family secrets for next time. Anne's going to think we're either the strangest family or the most boring."

"I don't know; I'm sure I haven't yet scratched the surface." Anne looked into her mug. "For now, though, I think it's time for another cup of tea."

"A woman after my own heart," Lisbeth stood. "Do you want to choose, or do you want a surprise?"

Anne thought for a moment, then handed her mug to Lisbeth. "Surprise me."

She was watching Lisbeth walk to the kitchen, or she would have seen the looks Gilbert and his father exchanged, but she wasn't missing much; she knew she fit right in already.

* * *

* * *

**_1 January 2016_ **

Gilbert pulled up to the house. It was definitely large, but it seemed cozy, even from the exterior. A small sign said "Welcome to Green Gables". Sure enough, forest green trim lined the gable roof, and the window frames were painted green, but otherwise, the house was the color Anne had described as eggshell.

A flash of red hair appeared in one of the upper windows, and by the time Gilbert was parked, Anne had bounded out of the house and up to his car. Only just waiting until he'd shut the car door to wrap him in a warm hug. "Happy New Year, Gil," she murmured into his neck.

"Happy New Year," Gilbert said into her hair. "I wish I could have said that in person ten hours ago, but I didn't want to push my luck."

Anne released him and gave him a quick peck before walking him up to the front door. "Matthew is in the habit of not judging. Marilla… is also in the habit of not judging, but _loudly_ in some cases." She flashed Gilbert a rueful grin, and he laughed.

"Duly noted." Gilbert waited for Anne to open the door. "I'll be on my best behavior."

"So will Marilla," Anne promised as she let them in. "Matthew! Marilla!" she called, "Gilbert's here!"

Marilla was the first to appear. Even though he supposed he'd briefly met her a couple months ago, Gilbert had almost expected her to be dour and unsmiling in person. Instead, she was smiling politely, more curious than cautious or unwelcoming. She was drying her hands on a towel. "Welcome to Green Gables, Gilbert," she said.

"Thank you for having me, Miss Cuthbert," Gilbert told her sincerely. "And thanks for the plum puffs. We… er, there weren't any left over for Bash and Mary. They were just too good."

Marilla's eyes crinkled as her smile grew warmer. "Good thing I made extras. I'll send some with you today."

"That's a dangerous gamble," Anne murmured, gently nudging Gilbert, who rolled his eyes. She turned around. "Matthew! Meet Gilbert."

Matthew stuck out his hand, and when Gilbert took it, he said in a voice as quiet as it was sincere, "Nice to finally meet you in person. Our Anne…" He turned to meet Anne's eyes and grinned. "She says a lot about you."

"Does she, now?" Gilbert asked, turning to Anne with a teasing smile.

Anne's cheeks were pinking. "Matthew, really?!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

Gilbert took pity on her and reached into the backpack he'd brought in from the car. "Here, from our orchard and our bees." He handed the jars of apple butter and honey to Marilla, who seemed to already be forming a plan.

"I'll have to make some apple tartlets with honey. Thank you very much Gilbert, and please thank your parents for me." She disappeared to put the items away as Gilbert nodded and promised he'd let his parents know.

Anne sighed, relieved it had gone well. "We don't have any guests today, so Matthew and Marilla are a bit at loose ends. We have a bunch of board games, or if you're into cards, Matthew is an amazingly adept Uno player. Even Marilla doesn't always realize when he's running low… and it's just so hard to play draw cards on him!"

"Uno sounds fine," Gilbert laughed before leaning over to whisper in her ear, "And I approve of the sweatshirt, by the way."

"This old thing?" Anne tugged at the collar of one of the sweatshirts Gilbert had given her. "I suppose it's pretty neat." She laughed as Gilbert rolled his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. Her laughter stopped abruptly, however, when she realized as Gilbert drew back that Marilla had reappeared. Anne cleared her throat. "I'll, um, go get the Uno deck," she told them, nearly fleeing.

Marilla nodded and watched Anne head upstairs before indicating a room. "We'll play be the fire." She walked in, and Gilbert followed her. They took their seats, and Marilla leaned forward. "Gilbert, you seem like a very wonderful young man, and we trust Anne's judgment, but I feel I must tell you that we take the safety of Anne's heart very seriously."

Gilbert nodded, solemn. "As do I, Miss Cuthbert."

Marilla gave him an appraising look and then a curt nod. "I'm glad we understand each other," she said evenly, though a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth

Gilbert hadn't quite been expecting the "what are your intentions" treatment from Marilla, but wanting to protect Anne, especially after November, was something he certainly understood better than he had before. Matthew, at least, was giving him an encouraging, if bemused smile. Gilbert smiled back and turned to face Anne as she returned with the cards.

* * *

A few hours (consisting of ten games of Uno, a delicious lunch, and a couple hours of fireside chat) later, Anne and Gilbert stood out by Gilbert's car.

"Well, that was less harrowing than you led me to believe it would be," Gilbert told her.

Anne shrugged. "One of the few times in life one should over-promise and under-deliver."

Gilbert laughed. "Fair enough."

They stood silent for a moment before Anne sighed. "It's so stupid that I'll miss you more the next couple days than I did the last two weeks."

"Well, I suppose that just means we'll have to meet earlier than normal on Saturday," Gilbert told her. "Good thing you don't have any weekend evening bookstore shifts this term."

Anne grinned, not quite able to keep all suggestiveness from her expression. "I can't say I disagree," she murmured. "See you Saturday, Gil." She rose up on her toes to kiss him.

Gilbert caught her elbows to hold her there for a longer kiss than Anne had intended, but she certainly wasn't complaining. Her lips and cheeks were both a very becoming shade of rosy when they finally separated. "See you Saturday," Gilbert whispered. He pulled Anne into a hug, burying his face in her hair. "I love you, Anne."

Anne nuzzled into the hug before drawing back to place her hand on Gilbert's cheek. "I love you too, Gilbert." She gave him a quick kiss, then returned to the porch to wave as Gilbert pulled out of the drive.

As Gilbert's car disappeared, both of them could only think that Saturday couldn't come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welllllllll, we all know how that really went. :( Josie owes these two an all-expenses-paid vacation.


	6. January 2016: Josie Launches Her Second Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back!
> 
> With January stories from Ineffable Chemistry.
> 
> They're not sweetness and light, folks. They're not horrible, either, but they're definitely heavier.

**_2 January 2016_ **

"Hey Jane, who was the bitch dating before Gilbert?"

Jane shrugged. "Anne? I dunno. Some guy named Ray? Rod? She only mentioned him once. She was single when she met Gilbert, anyway."

Josie snorted. "Someone like her? No way; she was sleeping around. Look, could you show me her social media? She's got me blocked." she reached for Jane's phone.

Jane snatched it back. "Okay. What is actually going on with you?! Why the crusade against someone who has literally never done a thing to you?"

"I'm just looking out for Gilbert!" Josie protested. "For you guys! I'm telling you; she's bad news!"

Jane rolled her eyes. "How would you know? You never even tried to get to know her!"

Josie sighed and held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, sorry; I'll stop. I just… I want my friend back. I miss hanging out."

Jane shook her head. "I never went anywhere. I've been here. You're the one who always switches to hanging out with Billy."

"Maybe that's because he gets me," Josie snapped. "Since when is it a bad thing to have an attentive boyfriend?"

"Attentive only because you're happy to give him what he wants!" Jane shot back. Josie scoffed. "Wow. You're slut-shaming me? I didn't realize that my happiness and my pleasure offend you that badly. God, you've always been so weird about sex. It's a natural thing, you know."

"I could not care less that you have sex; I care that my asshole brother uses you for it and you let him and then you tell me about it!" Jane spat.

Josie looked as though Jane had just slapped her. "Don't talk about what you don't get, Jane. I love what I do for Billy and what he does for me. You don't have to like it, but you could at least respect it." She stood.

"Josie!" Jane grabbed her hand. "Look, I want you to be happy—"

"I am happy," Josie butted in.

Jane shook her head. "I don't think you are. And maybe you're not ready to own up to it yet, but when you are, you can come to me."

"As long as I stop screwing your brother?" Josie sneered.

Jane sighed. "If it was as easy as that, we wouldn't be having this fight. I'm sorry for coming across judgy. But everything else aside, I don't think hurting Anne is going to get you anything you actually want."

Josie shrugged. "Believe what you want. I'll settle for making the bitch miserable." She swept out of the room, trying not to look back at her heartbroken friend. If she did that, she'd lose.

Instead, she pulled out her phone and opened her contacts. "Ray" couldn't be Roy Gardner, could it? He'd have better taste than that! (Then again, Anne did seem to have a pull with desirable guys that Josie didn't understand, which was all the more infuriating.) And if she was wrong and it wasn't him, she'd look like an idiot.

At least she still had Christine's number. Sure, Christine probably wouldn't admit if it had happened, but maybe she hadn't known. That breakup had really only happened just before Easter. 3 months wasn't too long to keep on the down-low and then pretend (badly) to meet while fainting at a blood drive—who actually believed that?!

Josie tapped out a message and hit send. She thought about going to see Billy, but she knew he'd want more than she was there for tonight. Better to just avoid that argument for now.

"Hey Joze."

Josie sighed. Of course her shit luck would continue. "Hey Billy."

Billy frowned. "What's up? You look… tired."

Josie shook her head. "Nothing. Just a little tiff with Jane."

Billy stepped forward to rest his hands on her waist. "Anything I can do to make it feel better?" Josie shrugged. "Maybe later. Stomach's been a bit off since yesterday. Probably just New Year's Eve party food."

"Oh." Billy's hands dropped. "Well, go rest up. Let me know when you're feeling better." He gave Josie a short kiss and turned to head back to his room.

Josie was out the door and just getting into her car when her phone buzzed. She looked down at it. So Christine didn't know? Well, Josie was about to change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... welcome back to Covalent Bonds? Please don't hurt me?
> 
> I promise there will be more Moodbert friendship the chapter after next, and next chapter might be interesting for some of you, as well, if you were interested in the (admittedly fairly anticlimactic) way Gilbert/Christine situation plays out.


	7. January 2016: An Apology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This went a little differently than I had thought it would. I mentioned in a comment to Chreechree in Ineffable Chemistry that Gilbert apologizes through Phil, but as I was writing this, Gilbert decided to not put her through that BS again and instead hoped Christine didn't decide to filter his email straight to her trash folder, too.

**15 January 2016 20:23  
[From: gblythe@...]  
[To: crstuart@...]  
[Subject: Sorry for being an asshole]**  
I figured in order to get you to even open this, I'd have to own to it in the subject. Not that I mean it any less, though I wouldn't blame you if you don't believe me. (Or if you just don't want to bother dealing with more bullshit.)  
I'm really sorry for being shitty to you when you texted. You didn't have to go out of your way to reach out to me, but you did, and instead of the gratitude you deserved, you got my frustration. You didn't deserve that, and I'm honestly pretty embarrassed that I responded the way I did. If I'm guessing right, you'd blocked me before I thanked you. (And I should have apologized there, too.)  
You were right about what you said about Josie a year ago, by the way. If you hadn't said then that the only thing she understands is someone playing her game but better, I'm not sure what I would have done now.  
I'm not expecting a response here. I hope you know that I mean it all, though. Anne asked me to add that she really appreciates what you did, and that she hopes she could be half as gracious if she was in your shoes. (Her words.) It goes without saying that you're a better person about it than I was, but while I'm owning up to my part in all of this, I may as well add that to the list.  
So… yeah. Thanks. I'm sorry. I hope things are well with you.  
\--g

* * *

**15 January 2016 21:38**  
[Christine]: So, our boy can learn, as it turns out  
[Christine]: Gilbert sent an apology

**15 January 2016 21:42**  
[Phil]: Miracle of miracles.  
[Christine]: His gf also sent her thanks  
[Phil]: Okay, that's genuinely sweet of her.

**15 January 2016 21:49**  
[Phil]: You're not responding, right?  
[Christine]: Oh hell no. Even if I wanted to, that'd be really awkward.  
[Christine]: Best to just let some things lie.  
[Phil]: …And make him sweat a little bit about what you might think?  
[Christine]: Ask me no questions…  
[Phil]: LOL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next chapter is the last planned chapter. Not saying there will never be more after that, and I'm willing to contemplate suggestions, but no guarantees.


	8. January 2016: Friendly Counsel

**_25 January 2016_ **

"Oh dude, you look like _shit_." Moody couldn't help the exclamation. "Sorry."

"I mean, you're not wrong," Gilbert told him wearily. "At least, insofar as I feel like shit."

Moody grimaced. "Yeah, no kidding. Are we having this conversation fully sober? Ruby's on a mocktail kick lately; I can make you… mostly fruity drinks, not gonna lie, but they're pretty tasty, so that's on offer. Or I can make smoothies, since we've been doing those after the gym."

Gilbert pondered it for a moment. "A smoothie actually sounds tempting since I haven't really eaten today, but hold the kale, if that's a thing you're doing."

Moody grinned. "It isn't." He started scrounging around in the freezer. "I am gonna ditch the banana, though. Don't tell Ruby, but I do not like what it does to the texture." He laughed as Gilbert obediently mimed zipping his lips. "So, talk. The kitchen is our confessional today."

With a heaving sigh, Gilbert sat at the table and began. "I don't know what to do. Anne… she's still down. And it's not like I expected her to bounce back immediately from Josie's shit and me not telling her about it like I should, especially with her workload this term, but… it feels like she's not saying something, but all she'll say when I ask is that she's fine and just a little tired." He waited for Moody to make a noise of acknowledgment before continuing, "Diana got concerned enough to say something to me, and I'm kind of surprised Cole hasn't as well." He paused and admitted, "I've considered reaching out to ask, but that feels like invading Anne's privacy, and I don't think she's about to hurt herself or anything."

"Yeah, she definitely doesn't seem like she's a risk there," Moody agreed. "Hold up. Let me get this done." He ran the blender for thirty seconds, then poured out something that was an interesting shade of purple, but that certainly smelled good to Gilbert. Moody clinked his glass against Gilbert and they both took swigs of the smoothie. As Gilbert took a second drink, Moody asked, "If you don't mind telling me, what did Diana say?"

"She said Anne's at her most normal around me," Gilbert took another sip of his smoothie and winced at a brief bout of brain freeze. He shook it off and continued, "And I get that that's a good thing in some ways, but it means that there's stuff I can't help, and I want to. But I know that I can't be there when Josie wanders into the bookstore on her shift—yeah, that happened last weekend," he told an incredulous Moody. "Seemed like an honest mistake on Josie's part, but still."

Moody nodded. "It's probably that she feels safest around you. Most of the time you're together, you're at your place, and she can't run into Josie there, and if you're anywhere else, she trusts you to let her take the lead while still being there. Which does kinda mean she maybe feels less safe the rest of the time…" He and Gilbert both frowned. "Sometimes, it just takes a bit for the brain to readjust after something upsetting. A month really isn't that long in the grand scheme of things," he offered hopefully. "And it's really less than that, when you remember that she just ran into Josie at the bookstore. Just keep being there for her. She trusts you and she tells you what she needs. As well-intentioned as you are, she needs to be able to stand on her own two feet."

Gilbert was reassured, but there was a voice not too far back in his head that was protesting _but I don't think she_ is _telling me what she needs!_ Moody was right: he couldn't crowd her. At best it would be picking a fight neither of them needed or wanted. Even if she was withdrawing—and she definitely was—he couldn't justify getting more involved right now, no matter how guilty about how his not getting involved in the first place had landed them here.

He said as much to Moody, who stopped his thoughtful sipping on his smoothie to plant his hands on Gilbert's shoulders. "That's not how that works. You and I both know you shouldn't have to be the Bitch Police, and honestly, it was nice that a whole bunch of us got to take potshots at Josie. Kinda wish we'd done it again at Charlie's birthday, but I get the feeling it would've embarrassed Anne." Moody stretched. "I also wish we'd kicked Josie out. Not like anything's missing when she's not there, anyway."

Gilbert made a noise of agreement as he finished his smoothie. "Yeah…"

Moody gave him an expectant look. "But…? Come on, Gil: sometimes, you just have to rock the boat and cut off someone toxic. And yeah, I know how that sounds coming from me, when I could be suggesting the same thing." He sighed. "Maybe I will."

"It's not just rocking the boat," Gilbert explained. "I'm just… concerned. It should be Anne's decision."

Moody raised an eyebrow. "Should it be? Honest question."

"Don't get me wrong; I'm happy to play enforcer on that. I'm happy to make it look like the decision is mine, especially since it's the one I'm most likely to make. And if the circumstances were different… If Josie had decided words weren't enough…" The thought made Gilbert's blood boil. He shook his head.

"Yeah, best not to go down that route," Moody told him. "But same as it would be in that case, encouraging her to at least get the toxic person out of her life as much as possible wouldn't be a bad idea even so."

Gilbert rolled the glass between his palms. "I'll talk to her in a few weeks about it if it's still the same then—we both have deadlines coming up; don't give me that look!"

Moody held up his hands. "Fair enough. Well, if that's all for now, go in peace, my son." Moody jokingly made a cross in the air in front of Gilbert.

"Wow. You're kicking me out?!" Gilbert pretended to look hurt.

"Nah." Moody shrugged. "Just marking that the kitchen confessional is no longer in session. I take this seriously, if you hadn't noticed." He gave Gilbert a half smile.

"I appreciate it, Moody," Gilbert told him sincerely. "Thanks."

"And now with the official bit over with…" Moody grinned fully now, though it was clearly still a little worried. "Dude, you need a hug."

Gilbert was practically tackled off his chair. "Jeez! What have I told you about warning me before you try and knock me over?" He sighed. "Thanks, though. You're not wrong." He wrapped his arms around Moody to return the hug for a few seconds.

"If things get bad, call me," Moody told Gilbert as Gilbert pulled on his shoes and got ready to leave. "I'm here to help, whatever you need. I know I said I wasn't particularly worried, and I don't want to scare you, but… things can go south quickly. Particularly when Josie and Billy are involved." He shook his head. "Say hi to Anne for me. And let her know the kitchen confessional's open to her, too."

Gilbert nodded. "Will do. See you."

Moody sighed as he shut the door. Hopefully the mess would get sorted sooner rather than later. He didn't like to think what might happen if Gilbert got provoked further, and he didn't like to think what might happen if Josie and Billy took it upon themselves to do so.

He pulled out his phone. It was time to do some sleuthing of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And Moody's grateful nothing else bad ever actually came of it. I get the sense he's a lover, not a fighter.
> 
> And so, we've reached the end of the planned chapters, and it's not necessarily ending on the highest of notes. Sorry about that. ^^; I've just... already written what I want to about Anne and Gil's happy ending.
> 
> As I said in last chapter's end notes, if there are things you want to see, I'm willing to think about it, but no guarantees.
> 
> Thanks for reading, folks! I hope you've enjoyed this! More from me is coming soon! (Like, this weekend...)


End file.
